Claw-bar



'No. 6l2,600. j I Patented Oct. la, I898.

- Z. WIGGS.

CLAW BAR. (Application 11194 Apr. 19, 1898.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE.

ZEPH WIGGS, OF DENTON, TEXAS.

CLAW-BAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,600, dated October 18, 1898.

Application filed April 19, 1898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZEPH VVIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denton, in the county of Denton and State of Texas,have invented a new and useful Claw-Bar, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the present invention is the provision of a tool for extracting spikes, nails, bolts, and the like, of simple construction and capable of performing the required work in an efiective and satisfactory manner, said tool being devised with special reference to adaptingitself automatically to the article received between the jaws and exertingapulling force thereon, whether provided with a head or not, the jaws gripping the sides of the article with a suificient force to remove it from the timber upon operating the lever in the usual manner.

For a full understanding of the merits and advantages of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the following description.

The improvementis susceptible of various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and to a full disclosure of the invention an adaptation thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an extractor constructed in accordance .with this invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the claw, the lever being detached. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line X X of Fig. 4., looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the claw, the lever being shown in section. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the lower end portion of the lever. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the claw and lower end of the lever, showing the pivotal connection between them, the upper portion of the lever being broken away.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in the several views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The claw 1 is divided longitudinally, forming companion jaws, and in side elevation is of approximately diamond shape. The jaws orcomplementary parts 2 of the claw are similarly formed and have depressions in their ser'ialro. 678,164. on model.)

meeting faces midway of their ends,which unitedly provide a recess or mortise 3, in which is fitted the lower end of the lever 4. The walls of the recess or mortise 3 incline, whereby the recess is smaller at its rear end and is of tapering form longitudinally, for a purpose presently to be described. The front ends of the jaws are cut away at their inner sides, forming a depression or cavity 5 to receive the head of a spike, nail, bolt, or the like, to which the tool is fitted when it is required to draw the same. The meeting faces of the jaws at the front and in the rear of the recess or mortise 3 are cut away slightly, forming tapering spaces 6 and 7,which receive projections of the lever, whereby the jaws are positively opened or closed, according to the direction of oscillating the lever.

The lever 4 is a bar of required length and size and its lower end is fitted into the recess or mortise 3 and is secured therein bya bolt or like fastening 8, passing through registering openings in the jaws and lever. The lower end portion of the'lever is of wedge shape, corresponding to the taper or wedge form of the recess or mortise 3, so that when or bolt 8, wherebythe wedge portion of the lever will be crowded into the smaller end of the recess or mortise 3 and separate the rear end portions of the jaws and effect the result stated. The connection between the jawsand the end portion of the bolt 8 is of sucha character as to admit of the jaws moving lat erally at their ends, so as to attain the ob jects aforesaid. A projection 9 extends for= wardly from the lower end portion of the 1e ver 4 and is adapted to enter the front tapering space 6 and effect a separation of the for ward end portion of the jaws, so that the tool may be fitted to the article to be extracted. The projection 9 tapers slightly toward its lower edge, so as to readily enter the space 6 and cooperate with the inclined walls therof to cause a positive outward movement of the jaws at their front ends. A corresponding projection 10 extends rearwardly from the lower end portion of the lever 4 and is adapted to enter the tapering space 7 to force the rear end portions of the jaws apart, thereby supplementing the action between the wedge portion of the lever and the inclined walls of the recess or mortise 3 to move the rear end portions of the jaws outwardly and cause their front end portions to grip the sides of the article received between them. The parts 9 and 10'are integral with the lever 4, but may be applied thereto, if desired.

The jaws and the lever may be cast or drop-- forged and be of any required size, according to the character of work for which the tool is designed. It will be understood that headless nails, spikes, and the like can be extracted by means of this tool, because they are firmly gripped between the jaws, the force exerted being proportionate to the pressure applied to the lever. When the lever is oscillated forwardly, the jaws are separated at their front ends, thereby admitting of the tool being readily applied to the spike, nail, bolt, or the like to be extracted. After the tool has been properly adjusted to the spike or the like to be drawn the jaws are held by either the hand or grip to prevent the displacement of the tool while oscillating the lever rearwardly to cause the jaws to firmly grip the spike. After the spike has been gripped the hand or foot applied to the claw is removed and sufficient pressure exerted upon the lever to effect the extracting of the spike or article gripped thereby.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. A11 extractor for spikes, nails, and the like, comprising a claw formed of com plementary jaws having tapering depressions in their meeting faces which unitedly form alongitudinally-tapering recess or mortise intermediate the ends of the claw, and a lever having its end of wedge form and fulcrumed to the jaws within said tapering recess or mortise, and having a relative forward-and-backward play therein and cooperating with its inclined walls to separate the rear ends of the jaws and cause their front ends to come together and grip the sides of the spike or article to be drawn, the shoulders at the front and rear ends of the tapering mortise limiting the play or movement of the lever, substantially as set forth.

2. An extractor for spikes, nails, and the like, comprising aclaw formed of complementary jaws having tapering depressions in their meeting faces which unitedly form a longitudinally-tapering recess or mortise intermediate the ends of the claw, and having a tapering space between the adjacent end portions of the jaw communicating with the proximal end of the tapering mortise, and a lever having its inner end of wedge form and fulcrumed to the jaws within said tapering recess or mortise, and having a relative for ward-and-baekward play therein to move the end portions of the jaws laterally in opposite directions, said lever having a projection at right angles to its length to enter the tapering space and supplement the action of the wedge portion, substantially as described.

3. An extractor for spikes, nails, and the like, comprising a claw formed of complementary jaws having tapering depressions in their meeting faces which unitedly form a longitudinally-tapering recess or mortise intermediate the ends of the claw, and having tapering spaces between the adjacent end portions of the jaw and in communication with the extremities of the tapering mortise, and a lever having its inner end of wedge form and fulcrumed to the jaws within said tapering mor tise and having a relative forward-and-back= ward play therein, and cooperating with its inclined walls to move the end portions of the jaws laterally in opposite directions, said lever having front and rear tapering projec-- tions to enter the aforesaid end spaces and supplement the action of the wedge portion of the lever in moving thejaws laterally, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ZEPH \VIGGS.

Witnesses R. L. BASS, W. J. LACY, Jr. 

